that every Candlestick may have a Candle and that every flock may have a faithfull sheepheard to guide them And I am perswaded that this work done would prove a Catholike remedy for all our evils and the greatest means for the lengthning out our tranquility and the healing of all our distempers O Eternall and most gracious God send forth Labourers into the harvest of our Nation that may boldly and faithfully dispense thy Word and duly administer thy holy Sacraments and grant that in singleness of heart without grudging we may give them their hire O shed abroad thy holy Spirit into our hearts that we may love as brethren and be of one minde in Christ Jesus as thou our heavenly Father art one SECT II. Of the Common Law of ENGLAND NOw to this discourse of Religion I will onely adde a line or two concerning the Common Law of England which I have undertaken for my profession and calling And by Gods assistance I shall propose this as the main end in all my studies and endevours the honour of God the service of my Prince the profit of my Country and the good of the Church England hath been inhabited always with a vertuous and wise people who ever embraced honest and good customes full of reason and conveniency which being confirm'd by common use and practise and continued time out of mind became the Common Law of the Land And though this Law be the peculiar invention of this Nation and delivered over from age to age by Tradition as well as by Books yet may we truly say That no humane Law written or unwritten hath more certainty in the Rules or Maximes more coherence in the parts thereof or more harmony of reason in it nay we confidently aver that it doth excell all other Laws in upholding of a free Monarchie which is the most excellent form of Government exalting the Prerogative Royall and being very tender and watchfull to preserve it and yet maintaining with all the ingenuous liberty of the subject Moreover all men at all times and in all places doe stand in need of Justice and of Law which is the rule of Justice and of the Interpreters and Ministers of the Law which give life and motion unto Justice for Cassaneus well observeth that Justitia periret si deesset qui justitiam allegaret Our Counsellors and Advocates are the language of the Law Our Judges are the eare of the Law For the Law it self is dumbe and speaks not but by the tongue of a learned Lawyer she is blinde and seeth no enormities but by the eye of a watchful and diligent Officers and she is deafe and heareth no complaints but by the eare of a grave and patient Judge Those Honourable persons whose true minde hath advanced them to the most transcendent places of honour that can possibly be attained in our profession that is to be Hearers Judges and Determiners of causes in Courts of Justice let them take heed diligently unto themselves that no favour nor whatsoever respects move them from the right And let them remember that they sit not in judgement for rewarding of friends or servants for crossing of contemners but only for doing of Justice Plato in Pol. Arist 1. Rhetor. I purposely forbeare either to rub upon the sores or to lay open the issues and infectious maladies that have tainted some great Sages of the Law in our times for that the Lord Viscount Falkland in his learned speech of the Judges hath plainly described certain symptomes of their diseases and manifested them to the eye of the Kingdom the high Court of Parliament And I hope that great Counsel of Physicians will either purge them of their noxious and pestilent humours or prescribe them a more certain and present cure It is joy to the just to do judgment but destruction shall be to the workers of iniquity Prov. 21.15 29.4 The King by judgment stablisheth the land but he that receiveth gifts overthroweth it Memorable is that speech of Moses to the children of Israel Deut. 1.16 17. And I charged your Judges at that time saying Hear the causes between your brethren and judge righteously between every man and his brother and the stranger that is with him Ye shall not respect persons in judgment but you shall heare the small as well as the great you shaâ—â— not be affraid of the face of man for the judgment is Gods and the cause that is to hard for you bring it unto me and I will heare it See Levit. 19.15 Deut. 16.19 1 Sam. 16.7 Prov. 24.23 The properties noted by Jethro to be in Magistrates and Governours are worthy much observation Provide men saith he of courage fearing God men dealing truly and hating covetousness Ex. 18.21 and read Ex. 23. Observe the great pains of Moses in sitting to judg the controversies of the people even from morning unto even Exod. 18. What a coÌ„mendation it is of him What an example unto al those whom God in mercy hath raised to any like government over their brethren Surely diligence in the charge committed to us is ever sweet unto God and good for our selves He that is diligent in his worke shall stand before Princes Prov. 22.29 Lâ—â—râ— to do well seek iudgment relieve the oppressed judge the fatherless plead for the widow Isai 1.17 Ye shall not do unjustly in judgment Who can be safe in lift or limbe in lands or goods if affection be Judge Booteth it to be honest or just or blamelesse if not truth but sancietry me No no. And therefore blessed be God for Law and Justice and wo to the Land where affection ruleth Honestius est cum judicaveris amare quà m cum amaveris judicare It is far better to love when thou hast judged than to judg when thou lovest The poore cryeth and no man heareth the rich man cryeth and every man praiseth smootheth O heavy Countries case where thus it is Do the thing that is just to the rich and poore and that shall give thee peace at the last If Judges wil be free from respect of persons then needs must they be free from gifts for gifts will lead their affections wil they nill they the old saying being true Beneficium accepisti libertatem amisisti Hast thou received a gift then hast thou lost thy liberty and freedom Thou shalt not take no gift for the gift blindeth the wise and perverteth the words of the righteous Exod. 23 8. And 〈◊〉 all Judges followed this course Hesiodus should not need to fain that Astrea hath left the society of men and is flown up to Heaven But it is to be feared that as Ulysses servant when he was asleep opened a Bottle which Aeolus had given him wherein the Winds were all inclosed and so let the Winds out they thinking there was treasure in the Bottle which as well at Sea as at Land they loved so some Judges opening mens purses whilest they looke for gain let truth escape from
harden his heart and speak thus unto him in the fiercenesse of his wrath Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up that I might shew my power in thee and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth Thinkest thou ô man that doest these things that thou shalt escape the judgement of God or despisest thou the riches of his goodnesse and forbearance and long-suffering not knowing that the goodnesse of God leadeth thee to repentance But after thy hardnesse and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thy selfe wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgement of God who will tender to every man according to his deeds for there is no respect of persons with God O that wee knew the time of our visitation and that wee could see in this our day the things that belong unto our peace least the Lord withdraw the light of his countenance from us and least the mercie and loving kiâ—â—ness of our God be hid from our eyes Thus saith the Lord to Israel I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people which walketh in a way that was not good after their own thoughts a people that provoketh me to anger continually to my face that sacrificeth in Gardens c. And our most holy Redeemer and blessed Saviour Jesus Christ thus compassionately bemoaneth a stif-necked disobedient hard-harted gain-saying people O Jerusalem Jerusalem thou that killest the Prophets and stonest them which are sent unto thee How often would I have gathered thy children together even as a Hen gathereth her chickens under her wings and ye would not Behold your house is left unto you desolate and the Apostle exhorteth us Whilst it is said To day if ye will hear his voice harden not your hearts as in the provocation Take heed brethren lest there be in any of you an evill heart of beliefe in departing from the living God but exhort one another daily whilst it is called to day lest any of you be hardned through the deceitfulnesse of sin Heb. 3. Let us therefore provoke the Lord to wrath no more by our sins but let us enter into a holy Covenant with God to walke uprightly before the Lord as Noah Abraham Moses Joshua Job Daniel King David and all the Prophets Apostles and servants of the Lord have done before us and let us resolve to serve the Lord our God with all our hearts with all our souls and withall our might Then shall our captivity and all our sufferings and afflictions worke together for the best for the Lord will set his eyes upon us for good and he will bring us again unto our Lands and to our huoses and he wil build us and not pull us down he will plant us and not pluck us up and he will give us an heart to know him that he is the Lord and we shall be his people and he will be our God for we shall return unto him with our whole hearts and we shall be like Trees planted by the Rivers of water that will bring forth fruit in season our leaf also shall not wither and whatsoever we doe shall prosper The ungodly are not so but are like the chaffe which the winde driveth away The Lord will deliver them to be removed into all the Kingdoms of the earth for their hurt to be a reproach and a proverb a taunt and a curse in all places whether he shall drive them And he will send the Sword the Famine and the Pestilence among them till they be consumed from the Land that he gave unto them and their Fathers For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous but the way of the ungodly shall perish Your Majesty may read in the Chronicles of holy Writ That King Asa did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord as did David his Father and he tooke away the Sodomites out of the Land and removed all the Idols that Abijam his Father had made and also Maachah his mother even her he removed from being Queen because she made an Idol in a Grove and Asa destroyed her Idol and burnt it by the Brooke Kidron but the high places were not removed neverthelesse Asa his heart was perfect with the Lord all his dayes Also King Azariah did that which was right in the sight of the Lord according to all that his Father Amaziah had done save that the high places were not removed the people sacrificed and burnt incense still on the high places And the Lord smote the King so that hee was a Leaper unto the day of his death and dwelt in a severall house and Jothan the Kings son was over the house judging the people of the Land And King Hezekiah did that which was right in the sight of the Lord according to all that David his Father did He removed the high places and brake the Images and cut down the Groves c. he trusted in the Lord God of Israel so that after him there was none like him among all the Kings of Judah nor any that went before him For he clave to the Lord and departed not from following him but kept his Comandements which the Lord comanded Moses And the Lord was with him and he prospered whither soever he went forth and he rebelled against the King of Assyria and served him not And King Josiah did that which was right in the sight of the Lord and walked in all the wayes of David his Father and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left And the King sent and they gathered unto him all the Elders of Judah and of Jerusalem and the King went up into the house of the Lord and all the men of Judah and all the Inhabitants of Jerusalem with them and the Priests and the Prophets and all the people both small and great and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the Covenant which was found in the house of the Lord. And the King stood by a pillar and made a Covenant before the Lord to walke before the Lord and to keep his Comandments and his Testimonies and his Statutes with all their heart and all their soule to perform the words of this Covenant that were written in this book and all the people stood to the Covenant And the King comanded all the vessels that were made for Baal and for the Grove and for the Hoast of heaven to be brought forth out of the Temple of the Lord and he burnt them without Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron and carryed the Ashes of them unto Bethel And he put down the Idolatrous Priests whom the Kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense in the high places c. Moreover the workers with familiar Spirits and the Wizards and the Images and the Idols and all the abominations that were spyed in the Land of Judah and in Jerusalem did Josiah put away that he might performe the words of the Law which were
written in the Book that Hilkiah the Priest found in the House of the Lord. And like unto him was there no King before him that turned to the Lord with all his heart and with all his soule and with all his might according to all the Law of Moses neither after him arose any like him 2 Kings 22 23. Chapters Now therefore my Lord the King arise and be doing and the Lord be with thee And command all your Children your Confederates and Allies your Nobles and your Commons and all the people of your Kingdoms to help you saying Is not the Lord your God with you And hath he not given you rest on every side for he hath given your enemies into your hands and the Land is subdued before the Lord and before his people Now set your heart and your soul to seeke the Lord your God arise therefore and build ye the Sanctuary of the Lord God establish Religion in its purity according to Gods Word settle the Church government compose the differences and heal the distempers that our sins have made repair ye the breaches and build up the waste places in the Church and State and doe you Judgement and Justice throughout all my Dominions And comand all the people to gather themselves together as one man and to make confession saying O Lord the great and dreadfull God keeping the Covenant and mercie to them that love him and to them that keepe his Comandements We have sinned and have committed iniquity and have done wickedly and have rebelled even hy departing from thy precepts and from thy judgements Neither have we harkned unto thy servants the Ministers and Preachers of thy Word and Ordinances which spake in thy name to our King our Princes and our Fathers and to all the people of the Land O Lord to us belongeth confusion of face because we have sinned against thee To the Lord our God belongeth mercies and forgivenesses though we have rebelled against him O Lord we have been disobedient and rebelled against thee and cast thy Law behinde our backs have slain thy servants which testified against us to turn us unto thee and we have wrought great provocations therefore thou deliverest us into the hands of our enemies who vexed us in the time of our trouble when we cryed unto thee thou heardst us from heaven and according to thy manifold mercies thou gavest us Saviours who saved us out of the hands of our enemies But after we had rest we did evill again before thee therefore leftest thou us in the hand of our enemies so that they had the dominion over us yet when we returned and cried unto thee thou heardst us from heaven and many times didst thou deliver us according to thy mercies Thou didst not utterly consume us nor forsake us for thou art a gracious and a mercifull God Now therefore our God the great the mighty and the terrible God who keepest Covenant and mercie Let not all the trouble seeme little before thee that hath come upon us on our King on our Princes and Nobles and on our Ministers and Elders on our fathers on all thy people since the time of the Kings departing from his Parliaments and people unto this day Howbeit thou art just in all that is brought upon us for thou hast done right but we have done wickedly Neither have our King our Princes and Nobles our Elders and Ministers of thy Word nor our Fathers kept thy Law nor hearkned unto thy Commandements and thy Testimonies wherewith thou didst testifie against them For they have not served thee in their Kingdom in thy great goodness that thou gavest them and in the large and fatland which thou gavest before them neither turned they from their wicked works Behold we are servants this day and for the land which thou gavest unto our Fathers to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof behold we are servants in it And it yieldeth much increase unto them whom thou hast set over us because of our sins also they have dominion over our bodies and over our cattell at their pleasure and we are in great distress And because of all this let us make a sure Covenant and write it and let the King our Princes and Nobles our Elders and Ministers of Gods Word and Ordinances our Fathers and all the people of your Majesties Dominions seal unto it And finally may it please your Excellent Majesty to attend unto the doctrine and exhortations of the Apostle 1 Thes Chap. 5. and Hebrews 13.20 21. Quench not the spirit despise not prophesyings prove all things hold fast that which is good abstain from all appearance of evill And the very God of Peace sanctifie you wholly and I pray God your whole spirit and soule and body be preserved blameless unto the comming of our Lord Iesus Christ Faithfull is he that calleth you who also will do it Now the God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Iesus that great Shepherd of the sheep through the bloud of the everlasting Covenant Make you perfect in every good work to do his will working in you that which is pleasing in his sight through Iesus Christ to whom be glory forever Amen I have not omitted for many yeares together my Sovereign Lord daily and constantly to pray for the temporall and eternall happiness of the King the Queen your Consort and Royall Progeny with that integrity of heart zeal and devout affection as I pray for the Church of God and the salvation of my own soul Thus rejoyceth evermore to pray without ceasing Royall Sir Your Majesties humbly devoted Oratour most dutifull loyall and faithfull Subject and Servant in the Lord Thomas de la More Cornet to his Excellencie Sir Thomas Fairfax Knight Generall of England c. From my Quarters at Spaldwick in Huntingdonshire Feb. 22. 1646. Note * Mistakes in the imprinting may be thus amended Page 1. line 7. read unrighteousness p. 4. line 23. blot out neither p. 5. l. 3. read weed p. 7. l. 11. blot out so p. 17. l. 13. read conveying p. 20. l. 10. read butt line 12. blot out the second but. p. 24. l. 8. read we are sold we were sold Imprimatur Iohn Downame A Protestation concerning the Church and Common-wealth of ENGLAND Composed 1641 By Thomas de la More of Graies-Inne Esq revised and published in the Yeer of Grace and Truth 1648. The first Part. SECT I. JOSVAH'S Resolution IEHOVAH our King who ruleth the Hoast of Heaven and scepters the hearts of Princes and great Potentates on earth with the powerfull Arme of his Justice mightily defendeth and with the sovereigne hand of his mercy graciously preserveth these our Kingdomes of great Britaine and Ireland from desolation and miserable confusion Satan rageth and his ministers fight against Christ they take the weapons of righteousnesse and smite their Reprovers like the mad Prophet with obloquie and murtherous intentions They maligne revile and